Member

Given that Linux is a collaborative open source software project and that universities are generally known for adhering to collaboration and open standards, it makes me wonder my many universities use Windows as the most common operating system for university computers. I think that Linux is such a missed opportunity for academia since getting more people to use Linux would ultimately help the Linux community in the long run.

So it makes me wonder, why doesn't academia embrace Linux in open arms and use it to power most computers on campus?

Administrator

Because Microsoft spends a lot of time and effort an money making sure that Universities keep using their products.
And if it is not Microsoft, it is Apple. The Open Source community can't get that sort of effort happening.

I think it is a pity, too. As you say, Open Source would actually be ideal for Universities, practically, and also philosophically. Along the lines of free and unbiased pure research, without any dependancies on any commercial ventures.

Moderator

And even when some places do attempt the open source it seems that Microsoft tends to pressure them back 'into the fold' so to speak. Wasn't there a town someplace in Germany that had gone open source but later converted back to Microsoft?

Administrator

Munich started using open source a while back. Must be more than 15 years ago now. As far as I know, they still do, but I reckon I read something about how they had to get a couple of computers going on Windows for specific purposes.

Microsoft was really not very amused at all that the city in which they have one of their major european centres (and no doubt pay a not insignificant amount of tax) chose to move away from Microsoft products. I heard on the grapevine that Microsoft made "special deal" offers worth millions to try and stop the City of Munich from making the move. Didn't work... 😀

"At the end of Nov 2017, the City Council decided to end the (LiMUx) project, and revert all the computers in the city administration back to Windows by 2020."

What a pity. I would attribute that to changes in the politics and politicians on the council, and no doubt hard lobby work by microsoft.
Elswhere the article there is mention of problems in the project caused by poor comunication between various departments in the administration. That is highly llikely possible. During the time I was in Munich, I was periodically astonished at how little the various offices and departments appeared to communicate with each other. Sometimes quite obviously not at all.

Moderator

Must had been the place then. Couldn't remember which one it was. But to remember them pissing up a storm about the city ditching them. For some reason was thinking they also had used a computer manufacturer to try and help them convince the place to go back to Microsoft. Was a wild read at the time and I was laughing the ass off at what was going on.

Administrator

Moderator

Too bad. Can imagine the issues between departments. Happens everywhere. But maybe other places can make open source work for them. MS seems to have a lot of money to influence everyone. Especially when you have the mental block of having used it for so long they don't want to switch and learn a new system. Maybe later a younger group will override the elders.